In the past, various types of pulls have been provided to facilitate the process of donning and removing an article of footwear. The majority of these pulls have generally been of the stirrup type located on the posterior end of articles of footwear in the area proximate to the heel. The stirrup pulls are affixed so as to be parallel to the superior to inferior axis of the article of footwear. U.S. Pat. No. 312,675 demonstrates such a stirrup pull used in conjunction with a similar strap disposed on the vamp portion of the boot. The pulls may also be configured to receive specifically designed hooked instruments with a handle. When the hook is inserted into the stirrup pull, the handle is then used to pull the article of footwear onto the user's foot. This type of pull has been especially popular in such items as cowboy boots and riding boots.
The pulls of the prior art have not allowed for a controlled pulling force to be easily distributed between the front portion and heel portion of the article of footwear, thus it was necessary to constantly manipulate and readjust the foot as the force was being applied to the article of footwear. Additionally, these types of pulls were inconvenient because they required an additional apparatus, i.e., the hook and handle, in order to be properly utilized. United Kingdom Patent No. 988 illustrates such a hooked device suitable for engaging reinforced holes, or stirrup pulls, provided in the posterior of the boot.
The modern trend in athletic footwear has been to provide a more secure, molded fit between the wearer's foot and the shoe. This so-called dynamic fit has also produced the need to provide a means for aiding the donning or removing of the athletic shoe from the wearer's foot. Several attempts to meet this need within the athletic shoe industry have been produced by Nike, Inc. and Nike International, Ltd., both of Beaverton, Ore. These attempts have included the NIKE.TM. Leather Cortez and Nylon Cortez shoes produced in 1972 which had a flap of leather about the posterior aspect of the article of footwear to be used as a backtab pull. The 1989 version of NIKE.TM.'S Air Jordan.TM. shoe also provided a backtab pull to aid in the donning and removing thereof. The 1989 NIKE.TM. Aqua Sock Too shoe had a loop-type of backtab pull, as did the 1986 NIKE.TM. Dunk Hi shoe, Lava shoe, and Zealand hiking boot. The purpose of the loop backtab pull structure was to assist the wearer in donning the article of footwear. However, the single loop backtab suffered from many of the problems outlined above due to the inability of the wearer to apply an evenly distributed pulling force.
Additionally, a restraining loop for a stability strap used with, e.g. the 1983 NIKE.TM. Air Force 1.TM. athletic shoe and the Spring 1985 NIKE.TM. Vandel athletic shoe, could possibly be used to assist the wearer in donning the article of footwear. However, in this instance, since the purpose of the structure was to enhance the stability about the area of the ankles, the size and positioning of the restraining loop does not create an improvement in the ease of utilization thereof for assistance in donning or removing the shoe.
Heretofore, the design of footwear structures, including those discussed above, have not provided effective and satisfactory assistance to a wearer in the donning and removing of a dynamically fit article of footwear. Thus, a strong need exists for an article of footwear incorporating a structure that will provide assistance in the donning and removing thereof.